Football 2013: Carter Carries More Responsibilities For Roland

ROLAND — A returning two-way starter for Roland, senior Laython Carter will be asked to carry a bigger load this season.

ROLAND — A returning two-way starter for Roland, senior Laython Carter will be asked to carry a bigger load this season.

Carter will be the team’s primary tailback, while on defense, he is the only returning starter at linebacker. On defense, Carter, a starter at linebacker since his freshman season, will need to help break in the new starters at the other positions.

"It will go good, I’ve just got to be more of a role model to them," said Carter, who made 82 tackles as a junior. "I’ve got to be there for them and I’ve got to help them. We have a lot of young guys with potential that can play for us as backers, so they’ll be pretty good for us this year as well."

On offense, the Rangers are depending on Carter to offset the void created by the graduation of four-year quarterback Brooks Robertson. But Carter said he believes the offense will still be in good hands with Robertson’s likely replacement, sophomore Manuel Bunch.

"He’s young but he’ll get there eventually," Carter said. "It might take some time but he can do it. … Brooks was more like a passer but Manuel is more of a scrambler, so we’ll use him more than what we did last year."

Carter, who rushed for 764 yards and five touchdowns last season, also has a goal to rush for at least 1,000 yards as a senior. In a win against Eufaula last season, he rushed for 150 yards while recording nine tackles on defense. But as far as Roland coach Jeff Streun is concerned, stats really don’t matter all that much to Carter.

"Laython is probably one of the best kids we’ve got on the football team and I mean that not just (his athletic ability), he’s just a super good kid. But on top of that, he’s one of the most unselfish kids at a glorified position that you can ask," Streun said. "If we’re throwing the ball 25 times a game and if that’s what it takes to win and he touches it five, he’s fine with that. If he carries the ball 30 times a game, he’s fine with that. He’s just the epitome of a team player and he’s one of my favorite kids that I’ve coached here in a long time."

Streun said Carter has a versatility that enables him to get the job done.

"He’s not the fastest kid, tailback that’s out there …, but he’s got great vision and his toughness and the way he runs the ball, the amount of effort, the strength in his legs, his upper body, his low stature. All of those things, he’s got," Streun said. "He also has very good feet and his vision is exceptional so he’s a strong runner, he’s going to give you everything he’s got on every snap and it’s vital that he’s able to do this.

"That’s why it’s a little concerning that early on, he’s going to have to play a little more defense and how much is that going to take out of his offensive production. I don’t think so, I think he’ll go until he can’t go anymore, but we’re hoping we can alleviate some of that by midseason where he doesn’t have to have as much responsibility every down on defense because we really want to be able to give him the football."

Carter is also eager to build on the success of last season’s 9-3 finish, punctuated by the Rangers’ first playoff win since 1978.

"It was good for us, we have something to look back to for this year and we just want to go farther into the season than we did last year as well," he said. "We’re just going to keep working hard and do the best that we can as a team and carry one another."